tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674491906818844962018-11-04T15:12:00.076-08:00Schuylkill and Lehigh Model RailroadThe Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club was started in April 1974. It is managed and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers. It operates every Sunday from April through October plus the first weekend in November and December in a Coach car that is located on the site of the WK&amp;S excursion railroad in Kempton, Pennsylvania.Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-42052393117794999552017-03-30T12:55:00.001-07:002017-03-30T12:55:17.305-07:00WK&S Railroad - Easter Bunny ExpressThe WK&amp;S Railroad at Kempton, PA is operating a Special Easter Bunny Express on Saturday, April 8th and Sunday, &nbsp;April 9th, 2017.<br /><br />Train departs the station at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. each day.&nbsp; Reservations are required!<br /><br />The Easter Bunny will be present and there will be an Easter egg hunt.&nbsp; This is an event you do not want to miss.<br /><br />For additional information go to the WK&amp;S web site:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kemptontrain.com"/> WK&S Railroad </a> <p>Also be sure to check out the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad while your there. The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad layout is located in the coach car #72 directly behind the WK&S Ticket Office.</p>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-56934395618262226142017-01-05T09:46:00.002-08:002017-01-05T09:46:13.281-08:00Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Closed for Season <div align=center><p><h3><b>Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Closed</b></h3></p></div> <p>The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad is closed for the season. The layout located in Coach car #72 at the home of the WK&S Railroad in Kempton will reopen on the first Sunday in May, May 7, 2017.</p> <p>As a general rule, the Schuylkill and Lehigh runs HO gauge trains in side Coach car #72 every Sunday beginning May 7, 2017 through the end of October. There will be a special weekend run the first weekend in November and the first weekend in December. There may be other occasions when trains are running on a Saturday and notices of the dates of these special runs will be posted to this blog, our FaceBook page and our web site.</p> <p>The web site can be found by clicking the link below:<br><br><a href="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org">Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad</a></p> <p>The Schuylkill and Lehigh on Facebook:<br><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SchuylkillLehighModelRR">S&L Model Railroad - FaceBook</a></p> <div align=center><p>We will be looking forward to seeing you in the spring, 2017!</p></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-82690731597466947332016-11-25T08:03:00.000-08:002016-11-25T08:03:03.890-08:00Santa Claus Weekend <div align=center><p><b>Christmas Special - December 3 & 4, 2016 Trains are Running at Kempton</b></p></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7IeebgEolhk/WDhgel83zPI/AAAAAAAABqw/ThYgQzL0LQc6Ucda21eb1mRW1JkOYur8wCLcB/s1600/santa3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7IeebgEolhk/WDhgel83zPI/AAAAAAAABqw/ThYgQzL0LQc6Ucda21eb1mRW1JkOYur8wCLcB/s320/santa3.gif" width="240" height="320" /></a></div> <p>During this Holiday Special Weekend (Saturday, Dec 3 and Sunday, Dec 4, 2016, the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad will be running trains in Coach Car #72 from approximately 10:30 until about 4pm.</p> <p>This Christmas Special weekend will be the final run for the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad for the 2016 season. Thank you for your patronage and we hope you enjoyed your visits. See you on the first Sunday in April, 2017. </p> <p>The WK&S Excursion train runs every hour on the hour beginning at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday for the special Santa Claus weekend.</p> <p>For this weekend, Reservations are required. Adults & Children (ages 3 & up) $10.00 Ages 2 & Under $2.00. See the WK&S web site for additional details (link below).</p> <p>The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club operates independently from the WK&S Railroad but follows a similar schedule. The Coach Car opens about 10:30pm on Saturday and Sunday until about 4:00pm during the Santa Claus Special Weekend. Visiting the Model Train layout is "free" although Good-Will donations are appreciated. Stop in and visit! The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Layout is located directly behind the Kempton Station in Coach Car #72.</p> <div align=center><p>The WK&S web site cab be found:<br>http://www.kemptontrain.com</p></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-57862490308726796352016-04-30T16:18:00.000-07:002016-04-30T16:18:03.030-07:00Trains Are Running At Kempton<div></div><div align="center"><table width="80%" border="5" border color="#FFCC00" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5"><tr><td><div align="center"><H3><strong>Trains are Running Sunday, May 1st</strong></H3></div><div align=left><p>Trains are running at Kempton starting Sunday, May 1, 2016. The WK&S Excursion train runs every hour on the hour beginning at 1:00pm and run every hour on the hour with the last train leaving the station at 4:00pm. Each trip lasts approximately 40 minutes and goes from Kempton to Wnnamakers and back. Your ticket is good for every trip the train makes, so go as often as you like.</p> <p>The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club operates independently from the W,K & S Railroad but follows a similar schedule. The Coach Car opens about 12:30pm and is generally open and running model trains on the layout until 5:00pm. Visiting the Model Train layout is "free" although donations are appreciated. Stop in and visit! The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Layout is located directly behind the Kempton Station in Coach Car #72.</p></div></td></tr></table></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-34271752703495934372016-01-08T14:13:00.003-08:002016-11-25T10:48:00.469-08:00Happy New Year 2016<div></div><p>The members of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club wish you and yours a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!</p> <p>For the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club the year 2015 was a very successful and enjoyable year. The number of people that passed through Coach 72 to view the unique layout of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club was at an all-time high. The visitors seemed to have a lot of fun and enjoyed watching the model trains make their designated tour around the layout. I can assure you that the club members running the trains had a great time running trains and chatting it up with the visitors, particularly the kids, that passed through the coach car either before are after their ride on the WK&S Railroad excursion train up to Wanamaker's and back. <p>We hope you enjoyed your day in Kempton, had a great ride on the WK&S and stopped by the Coach car 72 to check out the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad layout.</p> <p>We hope to see you all again soon when the trains start running in May, 2016. Be sure to check out the WK&S schedule on their web site; <a href="http://www.kemptontrain.com/">WK&S Railroad website</a>.</p> <p>The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad will also be posting it's schedule in early April, 2016. Check the 2016 schedule at <a href="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/">Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad</a>.</p> <p>See you in the spring!</p> <div align=center><p><img src="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/images/layout-home-1.jpg"></p></div> Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-77920294748509154322015-03-02T13:23:00.000-08:002016-11-25T10:45:58.709-08:00Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad, Kempton<div></div> <p><H2><b>YOUR VIEW</b></H2></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmVnBqBDzmw/VPTQeRpdUtI/AAAAAAAABV4/PYsAYxyQksU/s1600/mcall-station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmVnBqBDzmw/VPTQeRpdUtI/AAAAAAAABV4/PYsAYxyQksU/s320/mcall-station.jpg"></a></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Railroad overcomes embezzlement, keeps on chugging</p> <p>Volunteers at the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad had an unbelievably difficult operating season in 2014. </p> <p>We had to overcome the effects of a massive embezzlement that left the 3 1/2-mile tourist attraction between Kempton in Berks County and Wanamaker (Lynn Township, Lehigh County) reeling from the crippling effects. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UfkBWbC867E/VPTQVoKxALI/AAAAAAAABVw/1QXxP6XQudY/s1600/Wally%2BEly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UfkBWbC867E/VPTQVoKxALI/AAAAAAAABVw/1QXxP6XQudY/s320/Wally%2BEly.jpg"><br><center>Wally Ely</center></a></div><p> When news of the desperate financial condition that haunted the railroad broke in the spring of 2014, many of us felt it was the end of the line for the WK&S. For most businesses it would have been the end. (James D. Krause of Schnecksvile, the former general manager and treasurer, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to Berks County Prison in December 2014 and is required to make restitution.) </p><p>Operating funds were gone, and savings were down to a few thousand dollars. <p>The newly elected board of directors and officers had to face enormous past due accounts in seemingly every direction. They discovered overdue bills from vendors and unpaid state sales and income taxes and local real estate taxes. The company negotiated a line of credit from a bank to pay off some of the debts quickly and provide operating funds. </p><p>Railroad officials — all volunteers — determined early on that in defiance of the odds the trains would run all summer on a regular schedule. All scheduled special events would run as planned. <p><p>And that is exactly what happened. The train did not miss a day through the season, including the first week in December when, to continue a tradition, a whole weekend full of Santa Claus specials ran on time, with fully reserved trains. </p><p>Railroad President Oliver Blatt told a recent shareholders meeting that the volunteer team running the railroad line intends to return the business to its original prosperity and continue a full schedule with its all-volunteer operation this year and beyond. The railroad website announces an ambitious complete schedule for 2015 trains. </p><p>The railroad is no stranger to adversity. Starting with its founding on Memorial Day 1963, the railroad grew exponentially for a short time, then ran into financial difficulties. In 1970 the line closed in preparation for a sale of assets. Two Allentown businessmen, Harry Schaller of Mack Trucks and Albert Moffa, owner of the Americus Hotel, stepped forward, lent cash and negotiated a lifesaving reorganization for the company. </p> <p>With Moffa as the new president, Schaller became the railroad treasurer and acting CEO and reopened the railroad, shepherding it back to health. Schaller made peace with the volunteers, retaining most of them who were dedicated to keeping the trains rolling. Ten years later, when all the debts and loans of the company were paid off and with enough money in the bank to make the line totally solvent, Schaller retired, turning the railroad over to a new generation of volunteers. </p><p>Over the 50-plus years in existence, the railroad struggled through national economic turndowns and seasons of rain and heat, which kept travelers from riding the train. </p><p>Yet, enough out-of-area visitors and local families continued to ride this little railroad; they marveled at its cleanliness and the attitude of its volunteers. WK&S provides a pleasant railroad experience many children will never forget. The train trip with vintage coaches and engines is priced reasonably and the volunteers consider customer comfort and enjoyment as their top priority. </p><p>Kempton railroad volunteers have bounced back from the ultimate challenge, keeping the WK&S rolling. Come and see us for a ride in our 52nd year after reopening in May. </p> <p>Wally Ely, who lives in Allentown, has been a volunteer for the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad since it was founded in 1963. His email address is WallyEly1@aol.com </p> <div></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-31697775315450789692015-02-28T13:26:00.001-08:002015-02-28T13:26:16.926-08:00Slideshows & Videos of Other Club Layouts<div></div><p>On January 18, 2015, three members of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad visited two loyouts belonging to other Model Railroad Clubs.</p><p>The first stop was at the Keystone N-Trak Modular Railroad, Dublin TEC Center, 123 N. Main Street, Suite 216 (use rear door), Dublin, Pennsylvania.</p> <p>As would be expected, this layout is an N scale modular panel layout. The Club has a permanent layout in one room and a display of member owned modular panels in another. From time to time the club takes the member owned modular panels for display at various events. It is an impressive N scale layout as you will see if you visit the Schuylkill and Lehigh web site were you can view the Keystone layout in a slideshow and a video.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9YIVcc962Zg/VPIxnNgWblI/AAAAAAAABVU/Kpusj0rKDhA/s1600/Keystone2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9YIVcc962Zg/VPIxnNgWblI/AAAAAAAABVU/Kpusj0rKDhA/s320/Keystone2.jpg" /></a></div> </p> <p>The second stop of the day was a visit to the Logan Model Engineers layout, located in the Souderton Station, 2 West Broad St., Souderton, Pennsylvania. This club operates the fictional Logan & Southern Railroad. on a layout located in the 2nd floor of the Souderton Station. This is an impressive HO gauge model railroad with a large equipment roster, much of it owned by members. The clubs web site can be found here:<br> <a href="http://www.loganmrr.com/" target"_blank"> Logan Model Railroad Club</a> </p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lQ7F6uPDh_o/VPIxMuAn9WI/AAAAAAAABVM/85DhIUIB4JA/s1600/logan55.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lQ7F6uPDh_o/VPIxMuAn9WI/AAAAAAAABVM/85DhIUIB4JA/s320/logan55.JPG" /></a></div> <p>You can view two slideshows and a video of the Logan layout and a slideshow and video of the Keystone N-Trak layout by visiting the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad web site which can be found here:<br><a href="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/" target"_blank">Schuylkill and Lehigh MRR web site</a> <p>The 2015 Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Schedule will be posted soon. Watch for it!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-58224745290238171432013-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:002013-11-08T10:43:46.417-08:00Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad - Web Site<div></div><p>If you have never visited the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad web site, you should definitely check it out. Lots of good stuff is posted to the site periodically. For instance a video of an operating session for Saturday, October 26, 2013, was recently posted. Also, a 5 minute video showing the World's Largest Model Train Layout was posted today.</p> <p>The model train layout, located in Germany, is amazing. You should take a look and enjoy the wonders of model railroading.</p> <p>The web site can be found here:</p> <p><a href="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/" target="_page">Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Layout</a></p> <p>To view recent videos click on "Videos" in the left navigation bar. While your there you might want to take a ride in the cab of the WK&S diesel train on a run to Wannamakers and back to Kempton.</p> <p>Hope you will visit the web site soon and be sure to check us out on FaceBook.</p> <div align=center><hr width="80%"></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-729626906380374882013-04-17T15:12:00.001-07:002013-04-17T15:12:57.744-07:002013 Operating Schedule - Schuylkill & Lehigh MRR<div></div><p><b>The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club has posted it's 2013 Operating Schedule on the club's web site.</b></p> <p><b>View the schedule and start making plans. May 5th will be here before you know it!</b></p> <p><b>The following link will take you to the website for the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club:</b></p> <p><b><a href="http://schuylkill-lehighmrr.org/">Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club</a></b></p> <p><b>Hope to see you in Kempton!</b></p>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-14334158855585492962012-12-11T15:35:00.004-08:002012-12-11T15:35:49.133-08:00New Ceiling for Coach #72<div></div><p><b>In November, Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club Members installed a new ceiling in Coach #72, the home of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Layout.</b></p> <p><b>This was accomplished at considerable expense, but cost were held in check as the installation was accomplished by club members. In addition to the ceiling, fans equipped with lights were also installed. The fans should circulate cool air in summer and warm air in winter makeing the Coach Car a comfortable place to observe model railroad trains in action. The new lighting arrangement also softens the glare from the over head floresient lights that are still in place but can be turned off during operating sessions.</b></p> <p><b>The WK&S Excursion Train wrapped up its 2012 season with a "special" evening run on November 30th. And concluded the season with a "Santa Claus Special" on December 1 and december 2. </b></p>Great Turnout for the year-end sessions. <p><b>The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad was in operation on all three of these dates as it too closed out its season for 2012.</b></p> <p><b>Overall, it was a very succesful season for the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club and the members look forward to 2013 with Coach #72 sporting new carpet, new fans and new lighting. We can hardly wait for the 2013 season to begin! </b></p> <div align=center><p><b><hr width="80%"></b></p></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-23980779650840079532012-08-14T14:31:00.000-07:002012-08-14T14:32:54.001-07:00New Carpet for Coach #72, The Home of the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Layout<div></div><br />Very recently the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad club installed new carpet in Coach #72.<br /><br />Coach #72 is a historic coach that began life in 1889 on the Atlantic city Railroad.<br />Effective 1 April 1889 the Philadelphia and Reading Railway consolidated all of its railroads in Southern New Jersey into The Atlantic City Railroad.<br /><br />The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933. At the end of 1925 it operated 161 miles of road on 318 miles of track.<br /><br />The new carpeting is of a supirior grade that should handle the wear and tear of foot traffic through the railroad layout for years to come.<br /><br />The cost of the new carpet was covered by the generous donations of those that have viewed the layout over the years and have made a "Good Will" donation to help support the activities of the Schuylkill & Lehigh Railroad Club.<br /><br /><div align=center><hr width="80%"></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-74091366063554012602012-05-26T14:10:00.006-07:002012-05-26T14:21:30.423-07:00New Photos Posted from 5-13-2012<div></div><br />New photos of a some trains that were running at the layout on May 13, 2012, were posted to the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad web site.. To check it out, click on this link:<br><br><br /><div align=center><a href="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/photos.html"/>Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad</a></div><br><br><br /><div align=center><img src="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/images/switcher-sm.jpg"></div><br /><div align=center><hr width="80%"></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67449190681884496.post-64468907509727875652012-05-22T11:10:00.000-07:002012-05-22T11:12:18.732-07:00NEW BLOG<br><p>This is a new Blog created to promote the existence of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad. This model railroad is located in Coach #72 in Kempton, Pennsylvania; the site of the excursion train, The Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern Railroad. Yes, thats right, the layout is along one wall of an old passenger coach which sits on a siding behind the Kempton Train Station.</p> <p>The model railroad operates every Sunday in the months of May, June and September. Trains run on Saturday and Sunday during july, August & October. The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad is open from 1PM - 4PM on the same days as the WK&S. Admission to the model railroad layout is "free" although Good-Will donations are accepted.</p> <p>The S&L MRR has been in existence since the mid 1960's. The dedicated members manage, maintain, and operate the model railroad for the benefit of the general public and for our own enjoyment during the Spring and Summer months as well as into late October. We do this because we like kids and we like trains.</p> <p>We hope you visit our Blog often and also be sure to check out our web site; <br><br><div align=center><a href="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org"/>http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org</a></div></p> <div align=center><img src="http://schuylkill-lehigh-mrr.org/images/08_08.jpg"></div> <div align=center><p>Hope to see you in Coach #72 soon!</p></div><br><br> <div align=center><hr width="80%"></div>Everette Carrnoreply@blogger.com0